Get ready for Part One of a holiday treat! Join Jennie and Dianne on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast as they welcome Christmas aficionado and author Pamela McColl back to experience the "spirit of Christmas" through the memories of Elizabeth "Libbie" Bacon Custer, wife of the legendary (and controversial) George…
Resting peacefully in graves across the United Kingdom are some of the 20th century's best mystery writers who set the standard for the detective stories we know and love today. Get ready for a whodunit of an episode! We're "investigating" the fascinating story of the 94 year old "Detection Club",…
What if you knew the exact date of your own death? For Samuel P. Golden, a series of prophetic dreams foretold his passing...or so he believed! Join Jennie and Dianne as they uncover the Ordinary Extraordinary life and death of Samuel P. Golden, a charismatic man whose obituary described him…
Join Jennie on this week's Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast as she explores the incredible story of William R. Harland, whose cremains were discovered 85 years after his death in an Oregon hospital's 'Room of Forgotten Souls.' Learn how Life Forest Whistle Ridge, a conservation cemetery in Maine, provided Harland's final…
Step into the enchanting world of Italian cemeteries with Jennie, Dianne, and special guest Tui Snider who shares her adventures as a tour guide in Italy's iconic Monumental Cemeteries, visiting Milan, Genoa, Bologna, and Florence. From 19th-century widow sculptures to groundbreaking Jewish burial grounds, Tui helps uncover the treasures hidden…
In the stillness of a dense Newfoundland forest, a hidden cemetery whispers a tale both tragic and triumphant. This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast Jennie and Dianne explore the St. Martin-in-the-Woods Cemetery, a plane crash site turned burial ground in the autumn of 1946. Among the victims were…
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃 GET READY FOR A SPOOKTACULAR NIGHT! Join Jennie and Dianne for their FIRST-EVER LIVE EVENT (this live stream took place October 31, 2024 at 6 pm Mountain time.) They've brewed up a Halloween extravaganza just for YOU, their amazing podcast listeners!
New Episode 🪦 Join Jennie and Dianne for the annual "Beyond the Grave" episode of the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery, just in time to put you in a spooky mood for Halloween! Wrap yourself cozy, dim the lights and let Mary Shelley's haunting masterpiece envelop you as you venture into 'Frankenstein's…
Beyond the ornate 19th century headstones and crumbling mausoleums lies a world of custom and superstition that dictated death and mourning for more than eighty years. This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery Podcast Jennie and Dianne explore the complex social norms dictating grief, the rise of spiritualism, and the…
Step into history with Jennie and Dianne on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast! This week, they uncover the fascinating story of Pauline Cushman, a Union spy and actress who risked it all during the American Civil War. Joining them is living historian MJ Henion, who brings Pauline's courage and determination…
The story continues...Jennie, Dianne and Professor Jared Richman continue their discussion about the life and legacy of Mary Shelley. From the heartache of losing three of her four children in infancy, to the tragic drowning death of her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary was often forced to be resilient and…
This year's Beyond the Grave event honors Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but who was the woman behind the iconic novel? Born to radical parents Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin, Mary Shelley navigated a life of intellectual fervor, passionate relationships – including her tumultuous marriage to Percy Bysshe Shelley – and literary…
This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast; while Dianne is away, Jennie welcomes a new guest, JoEllen Hundeland, to share her passion project, "Hillside Cemetery: Middletown, New York: Beyond the Graves". From school bus curiosity to researching incredible local stories, JoEllen's journey is as fascinating as the book itself.…
Join The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery podcast for a milestone episode - our 200th! For this special episode Dianne and Jennie welcome back returning guest Kristen Allen of Bloombridge, the cemetery flower delivery service, to share exciting updates on the organization's remarkable growth since its inception in 2021. Discover how Bloombridge…
Jennie and Dianne are excited to share Part 2 of our discussion with author Joy Giguere on "Pleasure Grounds of Death: The Rural Cemetery in Nineteenth-century America". They explore how the rural cemetery movement transformed the funeral industry, especially following the civil war. The rise of funeral homes to handle…
This week on The Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery, Jennie and Dianne welcome Joy Giguere back to discuss her new book "Pleasure Grounds of Death: The Rural Cemetery in Nineteenth-century America". They chat about the rise of rural cemeteries in the United States, including Mount Auburn Cemetery's pioneering design to the nationwide…
Jennie was once again delighted to participate in the Annual Gilpin County Historical Society Cemetery Crawl. This is their 34th year! This year's crawl took place in the Odd Fellows Cemetery located just outside of Central City, Colorado. This story was especially fun for Jennie because she knew of the…
Saddle up, partners as Jennie and Dianne 'shoot' the breeze with Josh Taylor of the Wild West Extravaganza Podcast (and YouTube channel) while they pay their respects at the graveside of infamous outlaw Billy the Kid and his Ordinary Extraordinary life and legacy that ended before it had barely begun.…
In part 1 of "The Great Eiffel Tower Swindle" Jennie and Dianne share the humble beginnings of a man who became known as one of the world's greatest swindlers, Victor "The Count" Lustig; and left listeners hanging after recounting his notorious first sale of the Eiffel Tower in 1925. In…
As the world's eyes are on Paris for the Olympics, we're looking back at a different kind of champion - the con artist who sold the Eiffel Tower not once, but twice! We're shining a light on the Ordinary Extraordinary story of Victor Lustig who sold the unsellable and swindled…
On this episode of The Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery, Jennie and Dianne pay a virtual visit to the graveside of a man who truly made a "splash" not only in America, but around the world. Join them as they relatethe fascinating story of John Michael Kohler, the man credited as the…
This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast Jennie and Dianne review their recent "gravestone preservation workshop" after attending the "48 State Tour" hosted by Atlas Preservation at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They share what they learned and what was accomplished while working alongside others whose enthusiasm for…
